


Bloodworks

by kyradvb



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Paternity test
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 20:30:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15178721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyradvb/pseuds/kyradvb
Summary: When Seb needs blood, Robert discovers something.





	Bloodworks

**Author's Note:**

> A lot out of Robert's Christmas-Nightmare has already come (partly) true - Lachlan being killed, Aaron and him coming back together, Lachlan being creepy (I know he murdered people but Rob didn't dream that). But we haven't seen anything regarding the scene with Rebecca in which she said Seb is ill.
> 
> This is my take on that.

"Sebastian has anemia," The doctor starts, looking Robert in the eyes. "It is not something to be very worried about, we see it happen more often in babies. We just need to find someone with the same blood type to do a blood transfusion."

Robert can feel someone - Aaron - grab his shoulders from behind, but he doesn't react to him. How had he not noticed that something was wrong with his son? He noticed it when Seb had turned really pale, which is too late in Robert's eyes.

"His blood type is O+. We have already looked into the mother's medical records and her blood type is AB+. We couldn't find your records Mr. Sugden, but we assume-"

Robert cuts the doctor off. "My blood type is O+."

The doctor eyes him weirdly, but just nods at Robert. "Are you sure?"

Robert nods back. "100%. I was told a few years ago, back when I was shot."

He is sure he can feel Aaron tense a little when he says that, but still can't manage to concentrate on him instead of the doctor. He can see the doctor look past him and look at Aaron, as if he needs some more confirmation. He doesn't focus any further on their exchange and drifts off into his own thoughts.

_Bad father, bad father, bad father. How could you not notice?_

The doctor snaps him out of it again. "Okay, Mr. Sugden. If you could follow me please."

Robert doesn't think he has ever walked any faster in his life.

\---

After they had drawn enough blood out of Robert he was given a bit of juice and a cookie, to get his sugar levels up again. He was brought back to the waiting room where Aaron was waiting for him. He saw Liv joined him. They both stood up when they saw him and took him over from the nurse, sitting him down in between them.

There was just a few minutes of silence, Aaron and Liv exchanging glances between the two of them and sometimes looking worrying at Robert. Robert sitting there with shaking hands holding the juice and cookie. After a while Aaron grabbed them out of his hand and unpacked the cookie, handing it to him and ordering him to eat it.

"Seb will be fine Robert. He will get your blood. The doctor said there was no time pressure, as long as he got it either today or tomorrow," Aaron says to Robert, in an attempt to make the running mind - which Robert hasn't told him about, but he knows him - of his husband calm down.

"I know just, how didn't I see it Aaron?" Robert asks desperately.

Before Aaron can even answer, Liv butts in. " _We_ didn't see it Robert. We all had the day off and we were al watching him. It wasn't only you that didn't notice."

Aaron can see Robert look up at Liv with some emotion in his eyes. Thankfulness, Aaron thinks.

"Yeah," Robert starts. "But I just feel like such a bad dad to Seb. I told him I would protect him from everything. I even told him last night. And I didn't."

"You can't protect him from iron deficiency, Rob," Aaron answers Robert, putting his hand on his shoulder. Robert now looks his way and manages just a little smile. 

\---

"Mr. Sugden?" Robert's head shot up to see the doctor that was treating Seb. Before he even processed it, he was already up and walking towards him. Aaron and Liv following closely behind.

"Yes. How did it go? Is he okay?" Robert asks quickly.

"It all went well," The doctor tells him right away. "There were no problems with the blood transfusion. We will keep Sebastian here overnight to make sure everything will keep going well, but I don't doubt that it will."

Robert can feel himself deflate with relief. He didn't even notice his body was so tense.

"There is something else I also want to talk to you about. It is about an assumption I have. Sebastian is your biological son, correct?"

Robert frowns at the doctor. "Yes, correct. Why? What is going on?"

The doctor also gets a frown on his face, nodding and setting his eyes to the floor, seemingly thinking, before he looks back at Robert. "Ms. White's blood type is AB+, yours is O+. That would mean the only possible blood types for Sebastian to have would be an A or B blood type. But he has O+. The same as you."

Robert feels his mouth go dry and can't seem to find his voice. He couldn't be more thankful when Aaron steps in. "What does that mean?"

The doctor doesn't answer straight away, he doesn't even give a real answer, but when he does Robert feels like crying. "I want to do a paternity test."

\---

They took the paternity test on Monday and right now it was Friday. The day Robert was told that the results could come in.

Seb was doing fine, laying in his crib upstairs. There had been no further complications and he was allowed to go home with Aaron, Robert and Liv on Tuesday. That day Robert wouldn't let go of him, and neither would he the next. Robert hadn't been able to hold him on Thursday, and neither had he today.

What if Seb wasn't his son?

He hadn't told Rebecca about the paternity test. He wasn't sure, but he felt like he shouldn't. So he didn't.

Ever since he stood up this morning, he has been checking the mailbox two times every hour. Aaron insisted that he would do it, staring at his husband with a worried glance. Robert had thanked him but refused, wanting - no, needing - to be the one to find the results.

It wasn't until 4pm that there was a letter from the hospital in the mailbox. It wasn't until 5pm that Robert could finally open the letter with shaking hands. He was standing at the kitchen table, Aaron on the couch and Liv upstairs.

He could barely focus on the words that were written on the paper, only being able to stare at one sentence.

_Robert Sugden's Probability of Paternity Sebastian White - 0%_

\---

On Friday evening he had gotten the results. On that evening he hadn't said a word since he read it. Just left the Mill and went to Vic's house. Vic wasn't home, but he had the key of her house on his keychain and let himself in. He had grabbed one of her bottles of Whiskey - which was probably one that Adam left, Vic didn't drink Whiskey - and sat down on her couch. That is where he spend the whole evening and the next morning.

He left before Vic came home and checked his phone on the way home. He had 11 missed called from Aaron and 5 from Liv. He even saw that he had 2 from Chas. He also had a shitload of texts but couldn't be bothered to read them.

When he walked into the Mill, he was met with a hug right away. He recognized it to be Liv. She was smaller than him, but always had a strong hold. He allowed them to stand like that while he looked into the house. Aaron was sitting at the kitchen table with tear rimmed eyes and a lot of Dingle's were sitting with him. Chas, Cain, Charity, Cain, Moira.

So when Liv let go, he practically ran up the stairs, not feeling like talking.

It was Saturday evening when he came down the stairs and opened his mouth for the first time since Friday evening. "Seb isn't my son."

When he looked up he met Aaron's eyes right away. His eyes flicker past Aaron for a second to still see all the Dingle's sit there. "I know, Rob. I know."

"I thought he was. Rebecca and I - how?" He can't get any further before he starts crying.

"She must have lied," Aaron answers and then gestures something to his family. They start leaving and Robert can see the sympathetic and pityful looks in their eyes. "Or she also didn't know."

"I'm just sad, and angry, but also numb," Robert says as he lets his face fall into his husband's shoulder. "What do I do Aaron?"

"What do you want to do?" Aaron asks Robert with a soft voice. He grabs Robert by the shoulders and guides the both of them towards the couch, sitting down.

Robert shakes his head. "I don't know."

\---

"Seb isn't mine," Robert starts as he faces Rebecca. It is one week further and after putting a lot of thought in it, he decided to confront Rebecca about it. He knows that her memory is fucked up after the car accident, but he can't let it rest.

"What?" Rebecca asks, just staring dumbly at Robert. Robert grabs the letter with the result out of his pocket and shows it to Rebecca.

"Seb isn't mine," Robert slowly repeats. "So who's is he?"

Rebecca looks shocked. "Robert, I don't know. The dates match up perfectly with you."

"And who else could the date match with? Maybe not perfectly but closely?"

Rebecca slams her hand over her mouth. After a few seconds she speaks. "Ross."

\---

As of today, one and a half week after Robert confronted Rebecca, Ross is confirmed as Seb's dad. He also took a paternity test, after Robert came to him and trash-mouthed him - in tears. Ross hadn't been able to make anything out of it until he heard 'You are Seb's father'. He had looked at Robert as if he was a crazy person, but then Robert showed him the results and told him about the date Rebecca said she and Ross had sex. Ross's eyes had gone so big that they looked like they would pop out. If Robert's hadn't felt sad and angry, he would have laughed.

"Why would she lie about this?" Ross had asked Robert in disbelief. Robert had just shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't care. I just want Seb to have the right to get to know his dad."

\---

Robert and Ross had worked out what to do with Seb. He was going to live with Ross, as he is the dad and Rebecca isn't able to take care of Seb. Ross had decided that he wanted to get to know his son. But Robert was allowed to come visit and was the assigned babysitter - he and Seb had an undeniably bond, and Ross had seen how much it effected Robert. He wasn't going to take Seb away completely.

And when everything was done - paperwork signed, Seb's stuff gone out of the Mill and into Ross's house - Robert broke down. He started crying, sobbing, punching the wall and hitting a mirror in the process. When he hit the mirror, Liv had just walked into the house and had started yelling for Aaron right away, who came storming down the stairs.

"Rob-Robert!" He grabbed Robert's arms in an attempt to restrain him. When Robert wasn't able to punch anymore his body seemed to shut down, slowly lowering himself to his knees, Aaron going with him. Robert could hear Aaron asking Liv to grab a towel. A few seconds later he felt said towel being held around his hands. He looked down and saw it already tinting red.

As he just stared at his hand, he heard Aaron speak softly to him. "You will be fine Rob. We will be fine."


End file.
